Home - React Insect

Rapid elimination of invasive agricultural insect pest outbreaks by tackling them with SIT programs

REACT aims to develop long-term environmentally friendly response strategies and novel sustainable tools to protect fruit and vegetable production and export capacities from two invasive insect pests of EU priority, Bactrocera dorsalis and Bactrocera zonata. By using SIT techniques, we are leading an eco-friendly fight against invasive insect pests in the EU.

10th IOBC-WPRS Working Group Meeting

Innovative Pest Control: Shaping the Future of Sustainable Agriculture

The IOBC-WPRS Working Group “Modern Biotechnology in Integrated Plant Production” invites you to a joint meeting held in collaboration with the EU-funded project REACT.

22. – 24. Nov. 2026

OAC, Crete, Greece

Project Duration

REACT is a 54 month project kicked-off in November 2022. Its work will span until April 2027.

Project Objective

REACT aims to provide rapid pesticide-free pest control to protect ecosystems and bio-diversity in the European Union.

Project Partnership

REACT unites 15 partners from 12 countries and 3 continents

Project Funding

REACT receives funding of 6.65 million Euro from the European Union under its Horizon Europe framework

From Lab to Orchard

The REACT Layman Report

Our Report “From Lab to Orchard” explains the REACT project – its questions, methods and results – in clear language for a general audience beyond science. It follows the journey from laboratory research to real-world application in the orchard, showing how the Sterile Insect Technique can help control invasive fruit flies without relying on chemical pesticides.

Join our community! Monitor invasive species on the IPM app.

Two EU-funded projects, IPM POPILLIA and REACT, have joined forces to involve citizens in mapping invasive insect species. Farmers concerned about their crops, schoolchildren and students, nature lovers, amateur biologists and everyone else are invited to support our research by taking photos of flies and entering weather data and other relevant information into the IPM-Invasive Species Mapper app. The app is available for both Android and iOS.